Chronology of Stanley Cup engravings

This article lists a chronology of Stanley Cup engravings. A unique feature of the Stanley Cup is that, with few exceptions in the past, it is the only trophy in professional sports that has the name of the winning players, coaches, management, and club staff engraved on it.[1]

This has not always been the case. When he first donated the Cup in 1892, one of Lord Stanley of Preston's original conditions was that each team could, at their own expense, add a ring on the Cup to commemorate their Cup victory (the first year being an exception). Lord Stanley's original trophy was simply a silver bowl minted with the words "Dominion Hockey Challenge Cup" on one side of the outside rim, and "From Stanley of Preston" with his family's coat of arms on the other side.

The format and location of the engravings, including the addition and deletion of extra bands and rings attached to the bottom of Lord Stanley's original cup/bowl, has changed through the years. For unknown reasons some teams (details below), did not engrave their names on the Cup. This was rectified in the '1948 Redesign'.

During the Challenge Cup Era from 1893–1914, the Stanley Cup was a "challenge trophy"; the champions held onto the Cup until they either lost their league title to another club, or a champion from another league issued a formal challenge and subsequently defeated the reigning Cup champion in a special game or series.

Teams had to add their names to the trophy at their own expense. Initially, there was only one ring, the one added by the first Cup champion Montreal HC. Clubs then engraved their team names, usually in the form "[TEAM NAME] [YEAR WON]", on that one ring until it was full in 1902. With no room to engrave their names (perhaps unwilling to pay for a second band to the Cup), teams started leaving their mark on the bowl itself. A second ring was finally added by the Ottawa Senators in 1909. As mentioned earlier in this article, some teams during this era did not engrave their names on the Cup.

This agreement effectively ended the Challenge Cup rule in which a new champion was crowned after it won the title of the previous champion's league. However, the 1915 Ottawa Senators, the 1916 Portland Rosebuds, and the 1918 Vancouver Millionaires all engraved their names on the Cup even though they did not officially win it under the new system.

The NHA dissolved in 1917, and the National Hockey League (NHL) took its place. Then after the Western Canada Hockey League (WCHL) was born in 1921, it was agreed that all three league champions would play for the Cup. The PCHA and the WCHL later merged to form the Western Hockey League (WHL) in 1924.

† - Engraved their name on the Cup despite only winning the title of the previous champion's league.

The WHL folded before the 1926-27 season began. As a result, the Cup has since been awarded to the annual NHL champions.

Once the Cup became, effectively, the NHL championship trophy, the engraving of the Cup winner's information became a consistent annual tradition. This means that no Cup winning team has been missed since the 1922-23 Ottawa Senators chose to leave their name off the Cup.

Originally, a new band was added almost every year, causing the Cup to grow in size. Thus, it became commonly referred to as the "Stovepipe Cup" because of its resemblance to the exhaust pipe of a stove. It was also occasionally called the "cigar" Cup or the "elephant's leg" Cup for similar reasons.

"Won By / Boston Bruins / 1928–29", plus most players, President, Manager, Trainer. Originally 16 members names added. There was not enough room to include every winning member (5 players later added to new ring made during 1957-58 season. Playing-Coach listed twice, while President and 1 player were left off the newer ring. 3 of 5 players added were not playing for Boston when won the Cup 1929.).

"World's Champions / Canadiens of Montreal / 1931", plus 28 names. (1 player who played in the finals left off. Also left off was 1 player who played in the minors during the playoffs.), and playoff scores from the team's postseason rounds

"Toronto Maple Leafs / 1931-32 / World's Champions", full roster, non-players, team mascot, and playoff scores. 5 players were listed by only their last name only. 42 names in all (Conn Smythe listed twice), 17 investors, and the 5 players (who played in the finals) listed by only their last name were left off newer version of Cup made in 1957-58. (Conn Smythe listed once on newer ring.)

"New York Rangers Professional Hockey Club / World's Champions and Winners of the / Stanley Cup - 1932-33". plus 17 names added to the first ring (President and Vice President missing). On the second ring they included the following: "1933 Marked the seventh consecutive/ year in which Lester Patrick/ had piloted the Rangers "to the/ National Hockey League Playoffs".

"Chicago National Hockey Team, Inc. / The Black Hawks / 1937-38", plus 23 names added (2 players who played in the playoffs missing), and playoff scores from the team's postseason rounds (3 more players, and trainer left off the new ring made in 1957-58. One name listed twice on the new ring.)

"Boston Bruins 1940-1 [sic]", plus 21 names. (1 player played in the playoffs, and 1 who did not play in the playoffs left off. The 1 who did not play in the playoff later added to new ring in 1957-58.)

Clarence Campbell, President of National Hockey League, with the Stanley Cup

With the Stovepipe Cup becoming impractical because of its ever-increasing height, the NHL decided to redesign the trophy.

The base of the Stovepipe Cup (all of the bands before the New York Rangers' 1928 ring) was moved back to the top directly under the bowl. A new shoulder collar was added below, onto which only the names of the previous winning teams were engraved. This new shoulder includes all winning team names only. The 1908, 1910 Montreal Wanderers, 1911 Ottawa Senators, 1918 Toronto Arenas, 1922 Toronto St. Pats, 1920, 1921, 1923 Ottawa Senators team names were finally added to the Cup. The cancelled 1919 Stanley Cup Finals was also acknowledged with "1919/Montreal Canadiens/Seattle Metropolitans/Series Not Completed". Room was left on the new collar for future teams.

All of the 1927–28 to 1945–46 rings from the Stovepipe Cup were redone into nine bands of various heights that were attached below the new collar, forming a vastly expanded barrel-like body. The first 5 rings and half the sixth ring included the winners 1928, 1930 to 1939. There was room to add one more team the sixth band. 1956 was winner added later. Underneath that was a replica of the wide 1940 band from the Stovepipe Cup, but expanded to allow room for all winners from 1940 to 1951. The 1946–47 Cup champion Toronto Maple Leafs, who had to wait a year because of the redesign, was also added to the wide band. Finally, two more narrow blank bands were added to the bottom of the trophy for the winners 1952 to 1955.

"Detroit Red Wings 1951-52". plus 32 names. (including 3 players who did not play for Detroit that season.) (1 player who played 9 games was left off the Cup when it redone in 1957-58. Another players was left off when the replica cup was created in 1992-93, because he never played for Detroit. 1 spare goalie who never played in the NHL is on all 3 rings.)

"Detroit Red Wings 1953-54", plus 30 names added. (1 player {played 47 games} who played in the minors during the playoff missing. 1 player who played only 1 game included one cup. He was left off the other 2 rings, along with 1 A. Trainer.)

As soon as the 1956 Montreal Canadiens added their names to the Cup, all of the various narrow and wide bands of the trophy's barrel was full. Therefore, they were replaced with five symmetrical bands, each of which could contain 13 winning teams. The winning teams and rosters from 1927–28 to 1939–40 were engraved on the first band, the 1940–41 to 1952–53 champions on the second band, and the 1953–54 winners onward on the third band.

Although the bands were originally designed to fill up during the Cup's centennial year, the names of the 1964–65 Montreal Canadiens were engraved over a larger area than allotted (and thus there are 12 teams on that band instead of 13). Also the Cup underwent several minor alterations, namely the retirement of the collar in 1963 and the bowl in 1969 in favor of duplicates because the originals became too brittle.

Unless otherwise noted, all of the following teams also engraved their full rosters on the stated location, and put their club name on the shoulder collar.

"Club De Hockey Canadien 1978–79", plus 36 names. (1 players who was dressed in playoffs left off. 1 spare goalie dressed in finals, but had not played in the NHL included. Captain did not qualify due to injuries was engraved on cup.)

"Edmonton Oilers 1983–84", plus 30 names (3 players who played in the playoffs left off. 1 goalie who was dressed in finals, but did not play left off. 1 name was XXX'd out, because he was not a member of the winning team. {XXx'd name was left off Replica Cup in 1993})

"Pittsburgh Penguins 1990–91", plus 41 members names. (1 goalie dressed in playoffs left off, because he did dress for at least 41 regular season games or 1 game in the Stanley Cup Finals. 1 player who did not qualify included.)

After the bands were finally all filled, the top band of the large barrel, with the 1927–28 to 1939–40 champions, was taken to the Hockey Hall of Fame, and a new blank band was introduced at the bottom so the size of the Stanley Cup would not grow further.

One year later, the shoulder collar listing the names of the previous winners was also filled to capacity, but it was decided to keep it on the trophy, unchanged in perpetuity. 1991-92 Pittsburgh Penguins was last winning team to be engraved on the collar.

The band listing the 1940–41 to 1952–53 Cup winners was scheduled to be retired following the crowning of the 2004–05 champions. However, that season was cancelled because of a labour dispute. The ring was finally taken to the Hockey Hall of Fame one year later after the 2005–06 champion Carolina Hurricanes were crowned. In addition to listing the names of the Hurricanes on the new bottom ring, it was decided to also acknowledge the cancelled 2004–05 season. The next ring retirement is scheduled to occur after the 2016–17 season.

Boston Bruins, plus 52 names (1 player who did not qualify injured included, 1 player who played in playoffs, and another player who played 38 games left off the Stanley Cup, 1 asst equipment manager, and video coach left off).

Los Angeles Kings, plus 53 names (2 players who did not qualify included, 1 player who played in playoffs, 1 player who was with the team all season and missed the playoffs injured left off, and 1 asst equipment manager left off).